


I Know its Just a Number But You're the Eighth Wonder

by LostAndUnfound



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Merman!Brendon, Merman!Pete, Merman!Ryan, Multi, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary!Patrick, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tags May Change, human!patrick, probably others too - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-09-17
Packaged: 2019-04-23 03:48:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14323905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LostAndUnfound/pseuds/LostAndUnfound
Summary: The First time Patrick saw a Mermaid, they were 8 years old.





	1. Diving Right In

The first time Pete saw Patrick, Pete was 13. Many merfolk recommended not going near any humans, not because they were hostile or any thing. In fact, adult humans couldn't even see merfolk. No, it was so no hooks or nets the humans often had got caught in your hands or tail.  
Pete wasn't one to let little things like that stop him from exploring as soon as his parents allowed him to. Now, he could go by himself. He saw a child, who looked about 8, on a boat with what Pete assumed were their parents. He went to get a closer look out of pure curiosity.  
The child was pale, had almost blond hair, tinged with red, and bright blueish green eyes. They called the adults over and started waving at the merboy. The people who came over seemed unimpressed. It didn't seem that the parents liked what the child had said. Pete knew they couldn't see him, but he didn't like the idea that they wouldn't play along with their child. Even if merfolk weren't real, that didn't mean you had to crush your kids dreams.  
Pete waved back at the child and moved nearer to them. Yet, when he did, he saw the adults coming back with fishing rods, and Pete quickly swam back. The child didn't like that, and started trying to get The merboy to come back. Pete just waved goodbye, and swam far enough away so that the nasty fish hooks couldn't get him.

__________________________________________________________________

The second time Patrick saw Pete, Patrick was 12 years old. Patrick had been going through a of things, one of which was their gender. Patrick had known they weren't a girl their whole life. But it wasn't until recently they had figured out they weren't a boy either.  
Another thing they had been thinking about was their sexuality. Again, they had known that they liked girls there whole life do to social norms, but now guys were an option too.  
It was a lot to take in, and Patrick wanted a place to figure themself out without the risk of having someone walk in.  
Luckily for him, he lived near the beach, which had some caves on it. Of course they lived in a suburb, which meant they had too look hard for some place that no one else knew about. Multiple times, they had been found in a cave by a child, or worse a group of teens.  
One day though, they had been walking along the beach. Trying to avoid children, flying objects, and odd looks while heading towards the old lighthouse. It was slightly quieter there, due to the fact it was old and falling apart. The lighthouse was built on a rocky out crop, but people soon found that you couldn't get in or out during high tide.  
Patrick didn't know how they managed to build it without realizing a chunk of it would submerge so often. But it had been built decades before they had been born, so they would likely never know.  
It was off limits to every one. Parents didn't want their children going anywhere near it, so it was the quietest part of the beach. But Patrick wasn't going to go in there. Right next to the keep out sign was where a group of bushes met a rocky wall. Patrick wasn't going to do anything except sit in the shade under the bushes, hoping to not get sunburnt.  
When they sat down and stared at the clouds drifting along in the sky. They heard the sound of a crowd of people in the distance, kids screaming, men yelling, women laughing. This was usually not a big deal, but now it seemed to dig into their mind. Getting under their skin like the sand was getting under their shirt.  
They sighed and started to get up, but when they tried to put pressure on the ground, the earth gave way under their foot. The young red head yelped as they sank down. They caught a branch before they pulled themself back up. Shaking from the surprise, they looked down into the pit they had almost fallen in to.  
Closer examination showed that there was a tunnel of sorts that led to a cave with a pool of water in it. And in that pool of water was what appeared to be a merman.  
__________________________________________________________________

Pete had been trying to get away from Brendon when he found the cave. It wasn't that he didn't like Brendon, it was just he could be a little over bearing at times. And this was one of those times.  
Pete had seen the tunnel there, and that was the first place he had thought to hide. He hadn't meant to go this far in, but then he thought he saw something shiny, and then he kept going. It wasn't until he actually hit air that he realized how close to the surface he was.  
"What- no wait that's rude. Who are you?" A voice came from across the room. Pete took in as much as he could of his surroundings, and saw he was in a cave with one other person. That person seemed to be a young boy in his early teens. They looked somewhat familiar, but Pete brushed that off.  
"I'm a merman. What are you?" Pete replied. The supposed boy shrugged and moved a little closer.  
"I'm a human. I go by the name Patrick." They answered, holding out his hand for Pete to shake.  
"It's nice to meet you, human Patrick."  
"Can I get your name?" Patrick questioned.  
"No. Merfolk don't have names. We all have a psychic connection to each other that allows us all to know exactly who we are without having names." Pete lied. He watched in amusement as the young humans eyes got wide in surprise and wonder.  
"Really?"  
"No, I'm fucking with you. My names Pete. It's nice to meet you."


	2. Best Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dysphoria fucking sucks.

The first time Patrick had a best friend, her name was Elisa. They had met in kindergarten and had been best friends all the way to fifth grade. The two of them became fast friends, doing everything together.

She had been one of the main reasons that Patrick hadn't realized that he liked anyone other than girls. She had been so many of his firsts, his first kiss, his first 'date'(If you call your parents dressing you up to go hang out together a date), and his first sleepover. That was when their parents were there to keep a close eye on both of them. (Even though no one 6 years old should even know what sex is. Parents are weird).

Their siblings teased them relentlessly, and they didn't seem to mind. Elisa would come over to Patrick's house as often as Patrick would go over to Elisa's. More than once they had met on their way to the other one's house.

Patrick's was raised on hearing classic stories, and everyone knows how the stories go. A boy and a girl are best friends all through their life, until one day they fall in love. But Patrick isn't a boy, and they aren't best friends anymore.

She moved away. While their parents tried to help keep them in contact, it was hard to keep two preteens talking when they couldn't see each other.  
It was a hard time for Patrick, as it was almost the exact same time they started having their identity crisis.

The second best friend Patrick had was Pete. After the first meeting in the cave, the two of them would meet there almost every day. Except for when one of them got sick or had something going on. It was nice, having a secret between two people as opposed to one, Patrick thought. They still hadn't told Pete that they were non-binary.

One day, at four-thirty, when they normally meet, Patrick arrived at the meeting spot. Pete had already been there, not having to wait for the bus to take him home first. Something was off about Patrick, Pete noticed.

"Hey, are you okay?" Pete asked as Patrick made their way to sit down next to him.

"Yeah. I guess." Patrick answered.

"Are you sure? You look kinda down, and I don't like it when you're down. It makes me feel bad." Pete didn't like seeing anyone unhappy. Even if it was a human kid.

Patrick took a deep breath, "Today's my thirteenth birthday." They replied. This didn't make a whole lot of sense to Pete. He remembered his thirteenth birthday, and it was one of the best memories he had. But maybe birthdays were different for humans?

"Oh. Sorry?" Pete was trying to be empathetic, but he didn't understand what was going on. Then a realization struck him. "Oh, is it because you won't see me anymore?"

"What? Why wouldn't I see you anymore? Are you leaving?" Patrick questioned.

"No, because no adult humans can see merfolk, didn't you know?"

Patrick looked away from Pete. "No, I didn't." Patrick stared at the ground. "When will I stop being able to see you?" 

Pete shook his head. "I don't know, It varies from person to person, but most people stop somewhere in their teens."

Patrick let out a dry laugh. "Well isn't that just one more thing to look forward to in the future! Not only am I growing into a 'fine young man' I'm also going to lose one of my best friends. My future isn't looking like a huge pile of shit at all!"

Pete knew that something was very wrong. Patrick never swore, and seldom got this angry. He didn't know how to help, mainly because he only knew part of the problem. He couldn't ask what the problem was, due to the fact that Patrick was running out of the cave. 

"Hey, wait! Talk to me, please." Pete couldn't chase him out of the water to stop him, but that didn't stop him from trying. Unfortunately, this left him flopping on the ground. "Ugh, Trick, don't leave me. Fuck, help, please?"

Patrick couldn't help but look back at their friend on the ground and had to stop running away. There was a lot they wanted to do, one of which was going to their room and never talking to anyone again. But they couldn't leave their friend in any sort of trouble, even if it was him flailing around like, well, like a fish out of water.

Patrick made their way back to Pete, who had stopped flailing around. "What am I going to do with you? I can't even try to leave without you getting yourself stuck. You're hopeless."

"And you're crying." Pete noticed. "Can I- Is there anything I can do?"

Patrick started pushing the merman back into the water. It was at this point that they noticed Pete's tail. It was black where the tail met his torso, but it had faded to red at the bottom. It was beautiful. He was beautiful. Now, as if Patrick's day couldn't get any worse, they had realized they had a crush on their friend. Their friend who was a merman, was five years older than them, and they wouldn't be able to see anymore soon.

"I don't think you can," Patrick sighed, heaving Pete back into the water. 

"Let me try. Please?" Pete begged as he slid back down, hiding his tail once more. "You can just talk to me. If you want.

Patrick wiped their nose on their sleeve. "I, okay, I guess. My friend, Elisa, was supposed to come see me today, but she couldn't come. We've known each other for our whole lives, but my parents wouldn't tell me why she isn't here. They were acting weird about it. They said hanging out with her 'wouldn't be worth my time' and she's 'not a good influence'. Like, what does that even mean?" Patrick had started their rant and they knew they wouldn't stop until they had told the merman everything. 

"I mean, she's my best friend. She thought it would be a bad idea to go play at the park without telling our parents when we were eleven years old. Bad Influence my ass! Not to mention my aunts and uncles are there, telling me what a 'fine young man' I've become, not even thinking I might not be a man at all!" Patrick took a deep breath before continuing their long rant.

"And all I want is to know what I am, not that it matters at all. I'm going to be stuck like this for who knows how long. And no-one it's like I can't talk to anyone about how I feel because I don't know if they'd be mad at me or not!" Patrick finished and started sobbing. They pulled their legs to their chest and pushed their face into their knees.

Pete thought for a little bit as he let Patrick cry it out. When he spoke, he spoke softly. "You, you don't have to be a boy if you don't want to be. You can be a girl, or neither, or both. Whats most important is that you are happy and that you express who you are. People are assholes. That's a fact of life, on land, in the ocean, in the sky, it doesn't matter. And if they don't like you not being a boy, that's their problem. Not yours."

Pete wished he could offer a hug or any kind of comforting touch, but because he was all wet, he could not. He thought for a while, before getting an idea. He knew people who had a problem similar to Patrick's, in that people didn't like who they were.

"Hey, do you have to go back?"

Patrick looked confused. "To my house? Of course. I haven't even opened presents. Not that I want to do this, but I have no choice. My parents would be upset."

"Okay, I want you to come back at around midnight. I've got a surprise for you." Pete had a mischievous look in his eyes that Patrick didn't know how to feel about.  
_______________________________________________________________

Pete had to make a few arrangements before his friend got back. Step one, go talk to Brendon and Ryan. He was sure that they would be able to help. They were about Patrick's age, and they were the outcasts of the school that he lived in. The two of them were in a relationship most merfolk considered odd, due to them both being boys. They had started dating a few months ago. 

Pete was happy for them admitting they felt that way for each other, however, many others didn't approve. Eventually, Pete became protective of them, becoming like an older brother to the to of them. That may or may not have led the younger two merboys to get a little clingy.

Pete hadn't told them about Patrick, because it was none of their business. But he thought that now would be a good time to have them meet each other. First, he had to find a way to ask them to meet him near the cave without them questioning him.

He found them where he expected, hiding in Ryan's room cuddling. They were cute for two fourteen-year-olds, and Pete was not the kind of person who let cute people get shit. Unless they deserved it, and even then sometimes he would stop the shit-giver from giving them shit. 

"Hey, Pete! What are you doing here?" Ryan squirmed a little ways away from his boyfriend, making Brendon pout.

Pete grinned at them. "I have a favor to ask of you two."

_______________________________________________________________

Patrick had gotten home at five-thirty. They had taken their time getting home, knowing that they were going to have a 'surprise' party, even though their relatives had arrived a day early. Thirteen was a big year in the Stumph family. 

They had gone to multiple parties for their cousins in the past, and they had some strange memories of those. Like the time their uncle accidentally running his first cousins birthday cake over with a lawnmower. And half of her gifts too. Hopefully, their birthday wouldn't turn out like that.

They saw all the lights out in the house. If this was the way it was going to be, they would play along. The future they thought was in store for them was terrible. But if Pete was optimistic, they could be too. Unfortunately, the time was coming that they wouldn't be able to see him anymore was going to come far sooner than thought. Even if it wasn't in the way they expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, In most of my other fics I write Patrick as a guy, so if I ever accidentally refer to them as 'he', please tell me. :) Thanks for reading this far.


	3. The (After) Life of the Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW: There is mention of a slur in this chapter. It isn't fully said, but it's implied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh. Coming up with chapter titles is hard, luckily, I'm not writing a book, so I can slack in this area. Also, I didn't go to all the lengths I normally do to make sure I don't have grammatical errors, so if this sucks, sorry.

As soon as Patrick walked through the door of their home, they were assaulted with confetti and about twenty-some people shouting "Surprise!" at them. They gasped in surprise, even though they were expecting it, the fact it was so loud caught them off guard.

"Happy birthday, Patrick! You're officially a teen now," their mom announced. "Come on to the kitchen, we'll sing to you."

Patrick sighed as their family led him to the kitchen table, where they found that there was a rather large cake waiting for them on the table. Written on it were the words "Happy 13th Patrick!" in red icing, and it had as many candles as you would expect. Patrick smiled and ducked their head as their family came in and started to sing.

As soon as the song ended their dad immediately pushed Patrick toward the cake. "Go on, make a wish." He said, gesturing to the burning candles. Patrick thought for a moment before they blew out the candles. They had gotten them all in one breath, which meant the wish should come true.

"Alright! Even though we just blew out candles, we still have to eat first. We have pizza and soda. Aunt Carol, there is salad for you too." While their mom led the crowd to where the food was, Patrick hoped that wishes did come true. That they wouldn't ever stop being able to see Pete.

_______________________________________________________________

Ryan and Brendon had been willing to go with Pete, but Pete had to tell them more about Patrick than he wanted to. 

"How did you two meet?" Brendon questioned.

"We met when I was hiding from you," Pete answered.

"How long have you guys been friends?" Ryan jumped in.

"Almost a year now," Pete said.

"Did you ask them why humans always have more stuff around them when they are on land than in the water if they are more comfortable on land?" Brendon asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Pete responded.

"It's just something I've always wondered," Brendon shrugged.

"Okay, look. I don't know how to help Patrick with what they're going through. I don't know if you guys can help them with what they're going through," Pete stated. "I can only try to make things better for them while I still can."

"Okay, but what are we doing?" Ryan asked.

"I want to do something that I did when I was younger. Sneak out late and try to get back before my parents noticed I was missing," Pete said. They had reached the tunnel that led to the cave where he and Patrick met.

Brendon looked concerned. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Nope," Pete answered with a large grin on his face. "In fact, I'm fairly sure it's a terrible idea. But what's life without bad decisions?"

_______________________________________________________________

"Alright everyone, time for the birthday boy to open presents!" Patrick heard his mom announce.

Patrick stood up and walked to where there was a large pile of gifts waiting for them. Before anyone let them open any actual gifts though, they had to open birthday cards. Patrick hated that part. It was all the same shit over and over. A picture of a boy against a blue background that was playing some kind of sport or was being mean to a girl because she was a girl. They hated it. It was like a punch in the gut after everything they had heard Pete say.

After they had finished with the cards, it was time to start the presents. Patrick got three shirts, fifteen pairs of socks, a yo-yo, slinky, and a hat. The package the hat had come in had a name on it. Elisa. Getting that was nice, although they had no idea how she got it to them. It was their favorite gift they had gotten.

"Okay, Patrick, this is a special year for everyone on their way to adulthood. So, it makes sense that your mother and I get you something special that we know you've been wanting for a while." Patrick's father announced, before leaving the room to get one last gift.

Patrick gasped in shock and joy when they saw their father return with the final gift of the evening. Patrick had been wrong about the hat being their favorite gift, it was definitely this. A real six-string guitar. Patrick took it and gently strummed it.

"Hey, don't you think he's too a little too young for something like that?" Patrick uncle asked. "I mean, he's only thirteen, he won't even know how to take care of it, let alone play it."

Patrick felt obligated to protect their new instrument. "What does it matter that I'm only thirteen? George Harrison was only fourteen when he joined the Beetles."

Their uncle rolled his eyes. "Yeah, fourteen, and your no George Harrison, kid. Don't have the talent, don't have the looks, don't have the lady charming skills."

This made Patrick self-conscious, not to mention really fucking mad. Who was this guy, that he should decide that someone he's seen maybe three times before is mature enough to own a guitar, and say that can't play it either? 

"Why do I need to have lady charming skills for? I'm barely a teen. Besides, you're one to talk. I'm not on divorcing my fourth wife." Patrick spat back at him.

"Patrick! Apologies right now!" His mother scolded.

"Why? He's the one who's being rude. I've been stating facts." Patrick defended.

"Well, I'm not the one whose only girlfriend turned out to be a d-" Their uncle started.

"Don't you dare say that in front of the children," Patrick's father interrupted. "You can leave now." He told his brother.

"You should teach your boy to be more respectful of his elders,"The uncle scoffed while standing up to leave. He turned looked back at Patrick. "Ten bucks says he'll forget he even owns a guitar in a month."

"You can leave now." His mother said, this time. The firm tone of her voice made the man actually start leaving. She sighed and looked at Patrick, who had rapped pulled their guitar close to them. "I'm sorry about him. You can take your stuff to your room now."

Patrick nodded, gathered their new belongings into their arms, and started to leave. They wanted to ask what his uncle was going to say about Elisa, but they would have to wait until after all the other guests left.

Once they got to their room, they immediately turned their attention to the stringed instrument. It was good quality, although they could tell it wouldn't have been too expensive. They strummed out a few cords and smiled to themselves. It was perfect. Maybe they could learn how to play something for Pete.

Thinking of Pete made Patrick remember that they had said they would meet him at midnight. They checked the time, seeing it was almost nine. It took about twenty minutes to get to the beach, so they had less than three hours before they had to leave. But that was fine, the party was ending now anyway. Everyone was going home, or back to their hotels, depending on how far away they lived. 

"Patrick, can we talk to you for a minute, please?" They heard their mom call from downstairs. Sighing, they gently put the guitar in the case their father had put on the bed.

They propped it up against the wall and called "Coming, mom!" down the stairs. Patrick hoped that their parents wouldn't keep them here too long. They were met with their parent sitting together on the couch, and Patrick could tell that this was going nowhere good. They took a seat across from their father and mother. Patrick felt like they were about to be interrogated.

"So, about what happened with your uncle," Their dad started,"He was being rude to you, but you were not completely in the right yourself."

"He is your elder, and you still need respect and not talk back to him. It was rude of him, and you don't have to apologize, but you shouldn't ever do that again." Their mother finished.

Patrick nodded. They weren't sorry, and they weren't going to apologize anyway, but they also weren't happy that they were in trouble. They felt a little bad that their uncle had ruined the end of the party like that, but that wasn't their fault.

"What was he going to say about Elisa?" Patrick asked suddenly.

Their parents looked uncomfortable when they brought their childhood best friend up.

"Well, you see, ah, Elisa is, well, um, she's um, going through a confusing time of her life right now." Their dad answered.

Patrick rolled their eyes. "Ah, I see. That clears everything up."

"Patrick! Don't talk to your father like that." Their mother scolded, "You see, Elisa is, she's, well, you know how confusing becoming a teen is, you start hearing a lot of stuff from people you shouldn't. And she's going to get better soon..." 

"Get better soon? I thought she was confused?" Currently, the only one confused was Patrick. "Is something wrong with her?"

"She thinks she's a lesbian!" Their mother blurted out. "It's just hormones, and she'll get over it soon, so you shouldn't worry too much."

"Oh," was all Patrick had to say. Any thoughts of coming out to their parents anytime in the near future vanished. Any hope of them understanding them were gone after hearing that one sentence. Or two sentences. "Is that why she couldn't come to my party?"

"Yes. Several of you relatives said they wouldn't come if she was here, your uncle included." Their father explained although Patrick was unsure as too why he felt obligated to add that last part.

"And her parents aren't helping her at all! They talk about how proud of her they are for telling them while she's still that young. I mean, it's impossible to know how you feel when you're that young." Their mother ranted.

Patrick wanted to leave. "Is there anything else you need me for?" They asked. Their mother sighed and nodded. Patrick hoped Pete wouldn't mind them showing up early, because there was no way they were staying here until eleven forty after that. They went up to their room and started to plan their escape.  
_______________________________________________________________

"Okay, so they've got reddish-blond hair, blue eyes, are really short, and just turned thirteen today." Pete gave a description of Patrick to Ryan and Brendon. Pete had decided to get something for his friend, however, he didn't know what to get them. He wanted the young couple to watch for Patrick while he got something. "I'll be back soon."

Pete's first instinct was to go get some of the human jewelry that was expensive and everyone loved. Then he realized that Patrick was human, so they could get it more easily, and cheaper too. So, instead, Pete decided to get them something that they couldn't get as a human. This was harder than he thought because he didn't really know what was exclusive to each species. The overlap in similarities was shocking.

He could ask, but then he would have to leave and come back to them, and he was not going to do that. This was a lot harder than Pete was expecting, and he didn't want to not be there when Patrick arrived. He wasn't about to ruin Patrick's day by showing up late and not having a present. He had to think more creatively.

Suddenly, an idea struck him. It wouldn't be expensive, but it would help Patrick remember him even after they stopped being able to see him. Pete had to get something from his house, it would take longer, but that was fine. It would be worth it.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cute stuff and friend making.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took way to long to finish. Also, happy late birthday Patrick! I hope you never read this.

Patrick had arrived at the beach almost an hour earlier than Pete had told them to. They would have left sooner, but their parents would not go to bed. The walk was kind of creepy, most of the people in their neighborhood were asleep or at least being quiet. The only people Patrick had seen were a group of potheads getting high in someone's backyard.

Once Patrick got to the beach, he saw that there were some people in the water. The two of them weren't paying any attention to them, seeming way more interested in each other than they were in the young teen on land. Patrick went to the cave to look for the merman. Unfortionitly, Pete wasn't there. They weren't doing too well, and they wanted someone to talk to, but they had to wait until Pete got there. Of course, they knew that it might be awhile, so they sat and started waiting.

_______________________________________________________________

As per tradition, every merchild received twenty small gems from the bottom of the ocean caves. The first five mermaids who found the caves had found twenty gems take home for themselves. Three had given at least some of the gems away, while the other two kept all of them. It's up to each merchild what they should do with the gems. Sometimes, their parents wouldn't even let them have the rocks until they had fully grown. 

No human has ever gotten to these caves, so there's no way Patrick has ever gotten one of the gems before. All Pete had to do was pick which one he thought his human friend would like the most. Pete looked at his choices until one stood out to him. It was a greenish blue color, almost the same color as Patrick's eyes. It slightly glowed while Pete picked it up. It was perfect. He started making his way back to the beach and hoped that Patrick wasn't there yet.

_______________________________________________________________

"Hey, you're here! You're Patrick, right?" A voice that was not Pete's came from the pool of water, causing Patrick to jump in surprise.

"Yeah, I am. Who are you?" They asked, caught off guard by the person that Patrick assumed too be another merman.

"I'm Ryan. It was my turn to check here since Brendon did last time. Hey, can you come out to the water? Pete went to get you something, but he should be getting back soon." The stranger said Patrick had to assume that they were telling the truth.

"Okay, sure. Will, um, will Pete meet us there?" Patrick was shy of the newcomer and was unsure of how excepting they would be of Patrick. 

"Yeah, he should. Let's go." Ryan urged.

Patrick stood up, and Ryan dove back down into the tunnel. They made their way to the beach and walked out to where they saw a merboy out in the water.

"Hey, are you Patrick?" He called out. The human nodded.

Rayn's head popped up next to the other boys. "Oh, this is Brendon, he's my boyfriend." He announced proudly, throwing his arm around the other boy's neck and planting a kiss on his cheek. 

"Oh, hi." Was all Patrick could think to say. They hoped that Pete would show up soon.

The three of them sat in awkward silence for a few moments.

Brendon was the first to talk, "So if humans feel more comfortable on land, why do they wear less while in the water?"

God, Patrick hoped that Pete got here soon.

_______________________________________________________________

By the time Pete showed up, Ryan and Brendon had started telling embarrassing stories about each other. Patrick was more at ease than they had been at the beginning of the conversation, and Pete could tell. He swam up behind the two boys, far enough underwater that Patrick couldn't see him, and jumped out of the water.

"Boo!" He shouted, startling all three of the people at the beach.

"Pete! I almost fell in!" Patrick exclaimed. They put their hand over their heart and leaned back over dramatically.

Pete smirked, "Oh no, how will I ever make it up to you?" he started playing along.

"I'm not sure. You'll just have to be in debt to me for the rest of your life." Patrick teased. 

Pete smiled at them, "Or I could give you this." he said handing Patrick the gem he had in his hand.

"Oh, wow. It's beautiful Pete." Patrick stared at the glowing stone they just received. "Can I turn this into a neckless?"

Pete nodded, "It's yours now. You can do what you want with it. Happy birthday Patrick."

"Thanks, Pete," Patrick said.

"Okay, Pete what's your plan for tonight?" Ryan jumped in.

"I'm glad you asked." Pete grinned evilly.

_______________________________________________________________

Patrick was not planning on getting in the water when they left their house, and they most certainly were not planning on standing three merboys trying to carry them out into the ocean. 

"If I fall, I will kill you, Pete," Patrick threatened. 

"If Patrick falls and lands on me, I will kill you, Pete," Ryan agreed.

"If Patrick falls and lands on Ryan, I will kill you, Pete. I'll be dying of laughter myself, but I will kill you." Brendon added.

Pete laughed at all of them, "Okay, so don't drop them, and, Patrick, don't land on Ryan."

"You do know that I don't have a change of clothes, right?" Patrick questioned.

Pete shrugged, "Is that my fault? You make your own decisions."

"You know what? I'm going to kill you either way," Patrick decided.

"Are we going to do this? This is going to be awesome." Pete urged. And with that, he started to swim forward, with a firm hold on Patrick's leg.

"Holy shi- Fu- Goddamnit!" Patrick yelped as Ryan and Brendon lurched forward trying to keep up.

Now, at first, three people swimming while carrying another would seem like a terrible idea. And seeing it in action was confirmation. Patrick was desperately trying to center their upper body over their lower body, while the three merboys were swimming at different rates beneath them. Pete was enthusiastic but would slow down anytime Patrick so much as squeed to loud, while Ryan didn't go fast at all. And Brendon wanted to go full speed ahead the whole time. All this combined ended with Patrick not falling for an impressive one minute.

All three of the mermen scrambled out of the way, leaving the human to fall unblocked into the water. Patrick came back up gasping for air and trying to get the water out of their eyes.

Pete moved forward trying to help his friend up. He wrapped his arms around their chest, keeping Patrick at the surface. This also caused Patrick to stop thrashing around.

"Pete, I'm going to kill you," Patrick repeated their earlier threat, but Pete didn't believe them.

"Okay, but then who are you going to hang out with?" He teased.

"Ryan and Brendon." Patrick retorted but wasn't moving out of Pete's arms. They felt warm and safe and... and like they had a crush. Patrick was hopeless. 

"Um, do we get a say in this?" Brendon asked.

"No," Patrick said, who was practically being spooned by Pete at this point.

"So, are we going to try that again or what?" Pete started dragging Patrick back to the shore. Patrick rolled their eyes, figuring that it had been kind of fun, and it made Pete happy, so why not try for a few more times? They were already all wet, so it wasn't like they had anything to lose.

Messing around with the three merboys was by far the most fun Patrick had had in a long time. It was so much fun, that they completely lost track of time. It was all fun and games until Patrick noticed the sky getting lighter, and that the moon was going down.

"Oh, I have to get home. Like, now. Goodbye guys. I'll see you later." Patrick declared sadly. 

"Okay, bye Patrick!" Brendon tackle hugged them, sending both of them under water. Ryan pulled Brendon out of the water, and since Brendon was extremely clingy, Patrick came up with them. Ryan gave Patrick a hug too. Pete was the last one to give them a hug. It was like the impromptu spooning session earlier, warm and safe.

Pete pulled back and smiled at them. "We should do this more often. Like, make it a weekly thing."

Patrick laughed. "No way. My sleep schedule would be a complete mess." they grinned at the three of them. "I'll see you guys later."

Patrick was reluctant to leave, but they had to. They got out of the water and started back to their house. It was different heading back then it was leaving. The first thing we that now they were all wet. The next was that they were significantly happier. They smiled and hurried back to their house. The potheads had either left or passed out, but the smell lingered in the air slightly. It was a nice day, the birds were singing, and there were only a few clouds in the sky. It was perfect until Patrick opened the door to their house.

Their mother and father were sitting together on the couch, much like they had been the night before.

"Where have you been, young man?" Their mother asked. Patrick was in so much trouble.

_______________________________________________________________

"So let me get this straight," Their mother said, "You snuck out, went to the beach alone, and went swimming, in the middle of the night, without anyone there to watch you or make sure you weren't going to drown?"

Patrick couldn't tell him about Pete, Ryan, and Brendon, but they didn't have any friends that would back them up on this. So, they nodded and agreed. 

Their father shook his head. "That was irresponsible of you. Maybe your uncle was right about you. You can't have your guitar for a month."

Patrick glared at him. "What does my uncle have to do with this? He's a jerk. I don't get why you had to invite him." People don't change in a day, so they had to know how much of an asshole he was.

Patrick's mom shook her head. "He's family Patrick, we can't just, not invite him. He's your father's brother."

Patrick wasn't sure that that was a good enough reason for them, but they were in trouble already, they didn't need to make it any worse.

"And you're not allowed to go to the beach anymore." Their mother added.

"What?" Patrick stared at their mother. She shook her head.

"You've been going there a lot. I don't like it, but I would have let you keep doing it if because you liked it so much. But now you think it's okay to just, sneak out in the middle of the night! This is a rule. Unless you have someone with you, and you tell one of us first." She said. "You can go to your room now."

Patrick folded their arms over their chest. "Okay. Fine." They were tired, and sleep sounded wonderful. They were upset about not being allowed to go to the beach alone, but they would figure something out. They went to their room and got changed. They'd take a shower later. Hoping that they would be able to talk to Pete later, they fell asleep.


	5. Halp pls

Heyyy, so sorry I haven't updated this story in a while, as you can tell. Actually, I have tried multiple times to find inspiration for the next chapter in this story, but I just can't seem to get anything down. If you see this and have any ideas you think could help me, I would love to hear them. I really like this fic and want to keep writing I it, but I'm just a little stuck. (Thanks for reading this far, BTW!)


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